And alfred p



'(No Model.)

2 S11eetsSheet 1.

H. H. SESSIONS & A. P. DENNIS.

.GAR COUPLING.

No. 558,212. v Patented Apr. 14, 1896.

ZOE/Era 65665. java/@7 51 AN DREW 5.6RMIAM. rno'ro-umu. WAS!" N GTON. RC

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. H. SESSIONS & A. P. DENNIS.

(No Model.)

GAR COUPLING.

No. 558,212. Patented Apr. 14,1896.

SAWS

SWU

NIT-ED STATES ATENT FFICE.

HENRY H. SESSIONS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINQIS, AND ALFRED P. DENNIS, OF NEWYORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO THE STANDARD COUPLER COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,212, dated April14, 1896.. Application filed February 18,1896. Serial No. 579,757. (Nomodel.)

.To 0.0% whom it may concern.-

Be it known thatwe, HENRY H. SESSIONS, of Ohicago,in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, and ALFRED P. DENNIS, of New York, in the countyof New York, Stateof New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Car-Couplings; and we do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andto the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in car-couplings, beingparticularly applicable to couplers employing horizontally-swingingknucklessuch, for instance, as couplers of the Dowling type. In couplersof this type difficulty is experienced in unlocking or releasing theknuckles to uncouple the cars when pressure or strain is on theknuckles, due either to the spring-buffers being in contact and havingsprings of sufficient strength to keep the inner faces of the knucklesin contact or to strains incident to the train service; and it is theobject of the present invention to provide a secure locking device forthe knuckles to reduce tothe minimum friction in looking and unlockingthe same, and con sequently'the power necessary to be applied to theplatform lever or handle to accomplish this end, whereby not only maythe couplers be released at any time, but very strong springs may beemployed in the platformbuffers to hold the buffers or vestibule-framingtogether.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a coupler contop plan view. Fig. 4 isa horizontal section.

Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the locking-pin and its operating-arm.Figs. 6 and 7 are sections on the lines a and b, Fig. 5. Fig. 8illustrates the spring in top and side elevation.

Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate the sameparts.

The coupler-head A, together with its drawbar B and the knuckle O,pivotally mounted in the head to swing in a horizontal plane, are all ofany ordinary construction, and as a matter of convenience we haveillustrated a well-known form of device now on the market, in which thehead is provided with curved ribs and recesses for receiving thecorrespon ding ribs and recesses c in the knuckle, such ribs andrecesses being struck in the arc of a circle and constituting the pivotsabout which the knuckle turns. The knuckle is provided, as usual, withan extension or wing D, which is adapted to cooperate with the lockingmechanism, both to prevent the knuckle from being turned to uncoupledposition as well as to prevent the same escaping entirely from thedraw-head. This wing or extension D is struck on a center coincidentwith the axis of the knuckle, and it is adapted to intersect an apertureformed at right angles to its plane of movement or extending verticallythrough the draw-head and adapted to contain the locking mechanism,which in the present in stance is a pin. This pin (lettered E in thedrawings) is adapted to be rotated on its longitudinal axis to lock orrelease the knuckle instead of having a vertical movement, as is usualin this class of devices, and in order to effect the locking of theknuckle it is provided at a proper point in its length with a notch orsegmental recess 6, adapted when the pin is turned to one position tocoincide with the arc described by the Wing or extension D of theknuckle, but when the pin is turned to a different position a section ofthe body of the pin will be interposed in said are and prevent themovement of the knuckle on its center. Such an arrangement presents apractically solid abutment, against which the wing or extension on theknuckle strikes and does not tend to turn the pin or release the knuckleunder shock or strains incident to wear and tear in traffic.

In the preferred construction theend of the wing which comes against thelock or locking-pin to hold the knuckle in closedpo sition is curved tocorrespond to the circumference of the pin, as shown at F, therebyinsuring a good wide bearing and overcoming any liability of rupturingthe wing itself or breaking the locking-pin.

As a precaution against the entire escape or release of the knuckle fromthe drawhead, stop projections G are formed on the rear end of iheextension or wing D, which stop projections, when the knuckle is fullyopened, are adapted to strike or contact with the locking-pin above andbelow the segmental notch therein, it being preferable to form at thesepoints on the looking-pin projections 9, Fig. '7, against which thestops on the knuckle will take a firm bearing to arrest the knuckle inits outward movement.

As a convenient means for turning the pin on its longitudinal axis wepreferably provide a squared portion at the lower end, upon which isfitted an operating-arm H, which may be connected to the platform-leverin any ordinary or preferred manner, and to further secure the automaticlocking of the coupler when the knuckle is turned back a spring isinterposed between the pin and draw head tending to turn the pin intolocked position. This spring (lettered I in the drawings, Fig. 8) iswound spirally around the pin near the lower end, Fig. 1, and has one ofits ends set into a recess in the draw-head and the other into a recessin the lever, a series of recesses being provided, if so desired, foradjusting the tension of the spring in the ordinary way. The movement ofthe pin on its axis may be limited by a stop or stops cast 011 thebottom of the draw-headsuch, for instance, as illustrated by the letterS, with which the handle comes in contact.

The spring tending to turn the locking-pin into locked position at alltimes will cause the side or edge of the recess therein to ride againstthe segmental circumference of the wing or extension D during the timethe knuckle is open. Thus it forms in effect a friction-lock forpreventing the knuckle from being jolted out of open position when it isdesired to couple the cars, and furthermore as the knuckle is thrown toclosed position in the act of coupling, the pin is at once turned inbehind the wing or extension and locks the parts firmly. To release theknuckle, it is necessary to again positively rotate the locking-pin onits longitudinal axis, and while it is held in its open position toseparate the draw-heads, this act in itself throwing the knuckle open,where it will remain, if so desired, until the cars are again coupled.

Having thus described ourinvention, what we claim as new is- 1. Thecombination with the draw-head and the knuckle pivotally mounted thereinto swing in a horizontal plane and having the locking wing or extension,of the lockingpin journaled in the draw-head to rotate on itslongitudinal axis, and having the recess therein, through which thelocking wing or extension passes when the knuckle is moved, the pinforming an abutment in the same horizontal plane as the notch againstwhich the locking wing or extension strikes to hold the knuckle inlocked or closed position; substantially as described.

2. The combination with the draw-head having the aperture therethroughand the knuckle journaled to rotate in said head in a plane at rightangles to said aperture and having the locking wing or extension, of thelocking-pin journaled in an aperture in the draw-head, held againstlongitudinal move ment and having the recess through which the extensionor wing on the knuckle passes, the pin forming an abutment when turnedin front of said wing to lock the knuckle in closed position;substantially as described.

3. The combination with the draw head having the aperture therethroughand the knuckle journaled to turn in said draw-head in a plane at rightangles to the aperture and having the segmental locking wing orextension, of the locking-pin journaled to rotate on its longitudinalaxis in the aperture, the segmental notch in said pin through which thesegmental wing on the knuckle passes when the knuckle is opened, thebody of the pin in the transverse plane of the notch formin g anabutment for cooperating with the wing when the knuckle is closed tolock the same in its closed position; substantially as described.

4. The combination with the draw-head, having the aperture therethroughand the knuckle journaled in the draw-head to move in a plane at rightangles to the aperture and having the locking wing or extension with thestop projections thereon, of the lockingpin journaled in the aperture torotate on its longitudinal axis and having the central notch or recessthrough which the wing passes as the knuckle is opened and theprojections above and below said recess with which the stop projectionson the wing cooperate to limit the outward swing of the knuckle, thebody of the pin in the transverse plane of the notch constituting anabutment for holding the knuckle in locked position; substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination with the draw-head having the aperture therein andthe knuckle j ournaled in said draw-head to move in a plane at rightangles to the aperture and having the wing or extension, of thelocking-pin having the notch or recess through which the wing passeswhen the knuckle is opened, the body of the pin in the transverse planeof the notch forming a locking-abutment for holding the knuckle closedand a spring interposed between the pin and draw-head for automaticallyturning the pin on its longitudinal axis into locked position,substantially as described.

6. The combination with the draw-head having the aperture therein andthe knuckle j ournaled in said draw-head to move in a IIO plane at rightangles to the aperture and having the Wing or extension, of thelockingpin having the notch or recess through which the Wing passes whenthe knuckle is opened, the body of the pin in the transverse plane ofthe notch forming a locking-abutment for holding the knuckle closed, aspring interposed between the pin and draw-head for automaticallyturning the pin on its longitudinal axis into locked position and theoperating-arm connected with the end of the pin; substantially asdescribed.

7. The combination with the draw-head having the aperture therethroughand the knuckle journaled to rotate in said head in a plane at rightangles to said aperture and having the locking Wing or extension, of thelocking-pin journaled in an aperture in the WVitnesses as to thesignature of Henry H. Sessions:

L. D. VoAK, O. L. STINsoN.

Witnesses as to the signature of Alfred P. Dennis:

A. W. TAYLOR, LLOYD OoLLis.

